LAMBORGHINI v2:june09 25/06/2009 09:35 Page 100
A Lamborghini is selling a dream, but there are some hard com- anything like that, it would not fit us; that would not be the appropriate
mercial realities behind that dream. How do you plans for di- move for us. So Mission: Impossible III was a setting, a luxurious setting.
versity, both in terms of core business and the brand extension? It is important for us to see that our products are perceived in a normal con-
MF. Diversification is a necessity. We have a two-monoline strategy right text. What I’m striving for is to take us out of the context of being just a
now focusing on the cars, but a luxury brand is allowed to play out in niche of a niche, being just an exotic brand. I want to get to the point where
other fields. Obviously this is our core business, but the merchandising we’re looked upon normally, and we can see this already in the States. The
has taken enormous steps in the past couple of years since we have fo- Lamborghini brand has taken huge steps there in brand image, and we’re
cused on this in a totally different way, and this is as long as you again a part of the life, and that’s what we’re striving to do.
stay authentic and stay credible in that what you’re doing, any path out
there is allowed. Exclusivity is key to a brand like Lamborghini. How do you
keep the demand high in a recession, which by its very nature,
Ferrari are apparently bringing in around about $150 million demand must be dropping off? Also, wealth is geographical.
through their brand extension – the hats, the sunglasses – but How do you ensure that there isn’t a concentration of Lam-
how much of those things are suitable for Lamborghini? borghinis?
MF. They are in a different position than ours. You would assume they MF. It is paying attention, not to have a great concentration of your prod-
are the same, that it’s a similar position because they’re also a luxury uct in one place, one spot. So we have still a lot of white spots on the map
brand, but they have a totally different history and a totally different of the world, and therefore, we see still potential out there to bring our
standing. We’re still in the phase of brand building. I think any step we products to the market without diluting our brand image and without di-
take out there has to be thought more than once about, so also, if you go luting its exclusivity.
into the product placements, which we do occasionally in big Hollywood Wealth is still out there. People still have luckily enough money to
films, I discard about 95 percent of that what I get on my desk because buy our products. It is, like you mentioned before, a geographical ap-
they’re just not a brand fit. So yes, it is important to take a look at any proach, so still if you take China they are predicting a growth this year
kind of activity we take on, and we have to see if it is really that what of eight-point-something percent. This would be a dream here in Eu-
helps us on building upon our brand image. rope, but luckily we find still markets which have enough at their dis-
posal and which are in a fortunate situation who can buy our products.
Why were Mission: Impossible III and The Dark Knight right
for branding? How does Lamborghini move into a new market? What are the
MF. They were just a perfect fit. The Batman, before The Dark Knight, steps?
we were already in a very, very brief sequence already in the previous MF. We first of all need a good understanding of the market, but that
film from Christopher Nolan, but The Dark Knight, we had the script, we does not mean that we will cater to the market in a special way – we
went through it with the producers and I thought this is something that won’t do products for a market. We have a global product; it has to work
really fits the brand Lamborghini. Apart from that, it is a spectacular everywhere, so we will not do something specifically for one market. So
film, and I loved also working together with the production there, but the market understanding has to be there, we have to understand, and we
Mission: Impossible was also something on the very high-end level. It have to obviously penetrate our brand values. We have to be understood
was a good environment, it was good surrounding, and therefore, we said, as a luxury brand.
"Yes, we can do it." If you take China, for instance, a couple of years ago, the Chinese did
not know what Lamborghini is. Is it a coffee brand? Is it something to
In The Dark Knight, it’s Bruce Wayne’s car; Bruce Wayne is a wear? What is it? No, it’s a car manufacturer — no, it’s a super sports
multimillionaire, hero, avenger, etc., displaying aggressive and car manufacturer, and it’s a luxury brand. So we have to play in that
uncompromising values, perhaps even Italian. What are the league, and they have to perceive us as something which they would like
things that you insist on to get the branding right? to possess.
MF. We don’t go that far, I would not ever interfere with the creativity on
somebody else’s behalf, so the director has a clear idea of what he wants Lamborghini’s Ad Personam solution allows the customer to
to see. If we can support that with our products, the better it is. What I do personalize his or her Lamborghini. How important is that cus-
not like is to see our products in the context of being driven by villains or tomer experience for the company?
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